Gobi To Gherkin: Chinese Wine Set For London International Wine Fair Debut

450 Hectare Château Hansen Estate Located In Wuhai

Chateau Hansen (Image: the drinks business)

It may not yet be following the lead of Changyu, which hit store shelves in the UK last year, but Château Hansen, a 450 hectare winery near the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia is set for another British debut, as the first Chinese winery to exhibit at the London International Wine Fair (May 20-22, 2013). Founded in the 1980s and managed by French winemaker Bruno Paumard for the past three years, Château Hansen produces two million bottles of organic wine — also a rarity in China — per year, and has yet to export.

According to the drinks business, at the LIWF Château Hansen will exhibit its flagship “Côtes de Fleuve Jaune du Désert de Gobi,” a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged in 30 percent new French oak for 16 months.